It Will Be For You
by Amber Treelights
Summary: Valentine's Day is approaching and Hinata has no one to share it with. When Tenten suspects the person Hinata wants to share it with is her own teammate, she'll stop at nothing to convince Hinata that a fantasy is just around the corner. ...But is it?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**Welcome to my NejiHina V-Day one-shot! Hehe, let me begin by saying this story is set in a High School AU, separate from all my other NejiHina stories. So…yeah.

Second of all, it's just a little one-shot for Valentine's Day. I don't really want any real criticism on it unless you just wanna give me some anyway. :) I just hope you guys like it.

And finally…some of it is in a different language. So, if you need Babel Fish for it, you should probably go ahead and load the page in another tab. ;) Or window.

Now...this story has **three chapters.** I'm posting the first one today. The second one will be posted tomorrow and the third one on...you guessed it. Valentine's Day. :

That's all. Happy Valentine's Day, all you NejiHina fans! This is my gift to all of us who support the kissing cousins! Take care and enjoy!

* * *

"Hinata!"

The girl jumped as her name was called, a nervous blush now covering her cheeks. Quickly, Hinata sent her wide, lavender-tinted eyes to her sensei. She blinked shyly before responding in a quiet voice.

"Y-Yes…?" she asked, hoping she wasn't in any kind of conundrum now.

The tall black-haired man gave her a look, suddenly making Hinata realize her second mistake, along with the one she didn't know of yet. With a smaller flinch of surprise, Hinata shook her head quickly, the blush reddening even more. "O-Oh, I mean… _¿Sí?"_

After the words came a small set of snickers from most of the other students in the classroom. Hinata nervously looked down to the surface of her desk, wishing she hadn't been placed in the front row, where everyone could pretty much see her, and where she felt least safe. She would've done anything for the closure of the back of the classroom. But, alas, things didn't always seem to work out for the young Hyuuga female.

The classroom's teacher, Maito Gai (or…Señor Gai, as he preferred to be called), gave an annoyed look to the snickering students, silencing them before once again looking back to Hinata, giving her his familiar shiny grin.

"That's right," he said. "Now Hinata…please read _número cinco _for us."

Quickly, the girl looked back down to her desk, scanning the Spanish worksheet for the fifth number at his request. Finding it, she took a silent, deep breath before repeating the sentence she'd filled the word in with.

"_Seré frío mañana,_" she read, hesitantly looking back up to her teacher as she bit her lip, hoping she'd said the sentence correctly.

Gai chuckled a little at the words. "Not quite. Almost there, though. Your sentence could work, buuut…you can't really know when you're going to be cold. You just…get cold. I was actually looking more towards the line of…_'Será frío mañana'_ – _It_ will be cold tomorrow."

The girl's shoulders dropping just a bit, she sadly looked down to her desk top once more. Again with the mess-ups. And by only _one _letter. Silently, Hinata began to wonder if she could ever get _anything _right in her Spanish.

"Aaaallright!" the sensei then loudly began a new announcement to the class. "As you all know…tomorrow is _what?"_

Gai waited for a reply, an encouraging grin upon his face. "…C'mon, now, guys, you_better_ know this!"

Finally, a hand was raised, the hand belonging to the teacher's pet of the class – Rock Lee. Enthusiastically, the boy shouted out the answer to Gai's question.

"It is _Día de San Valentino, señor!"_ he said with a grin of his own. "The day of _amor!"_

"He-heeeyyy!" the teacher replied, giving Lee a high five. "That's absolutely correct, Lee! _¡Estupendo!"_

"Yay!" the boy grinned happily, ecstatic about the coming day. Valentine's Day _was_his favourite holiday, after all. It was all about youth and love! Such a wonderful day!

Giving a nod, Gai-sensei raised a finger, continuing on with his announcement. Lee quieted down immediately, letting his teacher resume.

"Yes, Valentine's Day," he said. "And…I don't want to give you guys homework on the night before that day. 'Cause I know a lot of you have preparations going on and gifts to prepare, all that good stuff. Sooo…I'm gonna give you all the time now to complete the rest of your worksheet. That sound fair?"

Not even after a second of the man's words, an echo of excited yeses was sounded through the classroom; no one would ever reject the offer of no homework, whether they prepared for Valentine's Day or not.

With that, Gai gave a nod. "Okay," he said before getting back to his desk to continue with teacher things while the students worked on their sheet.

Meanwhile, Hinata nervously looked down to her worksheet. She gave a silent sigh, wishing Gai-sensei hadn't even given them this. So many problems…problems that most of the students could easily finish before the bell to leave rang throughout the school, alerting everyone the day was done and they could all go home. But not she. Hinata would never be able to finish all this…not a chance. Especially not with her worry that she wouldn't. The girl gave a small whimper, miserably scanning the Spanish words and blanks she had to fill in. And so trapped by her misery, the Hyuuga didn't even realize she was being watched.

"…Need help?"

With a quick, surprised gasp, the Hyuuga swerved around nervously, meeting the eyes of her elder cousin. Neji blinked once, placing a hand on the girl's head.

"Relax, Hinata-sama… It's just me. I'm not going to eat you," he softly said.

Hinata's cheeks reddened at his words, making her quickly look away from him again. Neji removed his hand, leaning more over the girl's shoulder to look down at her worksheet as well. "So…do you need some help? You're not even halfway through yet… I finished mine when Gai-sensei was going over 1-5."

That was just like Neji, after all. A genius. Perfect at anything he attempted. Neji knew his Spanish better than anyone else in the room. The boy was quite a language person, after all. If the class was about remembering, he had no problems whatsoever. Finally, the shy Hinata gave a small, hesitant nod. It wasn't like Neji never helped her. He was always there when she needed him. He helped her in class and studied with her at home. But no matter how much the boy helped her…she never got any better with her Spanish. And that was what frustrated the girl the most.

Neji smiled again softly, sensing his little cousin's nervous agitation. He gave a sigh and grabbed a pencil off someone's desk (not really caring whose it was), and placed the tip of it to the next problem on Hinata's paper.

"Alright…this is future tense, right? So do you know your tenses?" he asked, looking at her questioningly.

Hinata looked away again. "U-Um…well, I…I know most of them…"

"Most of them?" the boy's eyebrows rose with the question.

She nodded slowly, meeting his eyes again. And with the meeting, Neji only continued to stare into hers. After a few seconds of the staring, Hinata bit her lip, beginning to blush again. "N-Niisan…?"

"Come on, Hinata-sama… You need to finish your worksheet, right?" he asked.

The girl gave another small nod. Neji did as he offered. Going through each of the Spanish problems, he assisted her in answering them all. The two of them were finished in about fifteen minutes; and after they'd finished, only a few minutes remained of the school day.

Hinata smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Neji-niisan… I'm sorry I always need your help so much."

"Don't apologize, Hinata-sama. I'm quite fine with helping you whenever you need it," he gave her a small smile in return before going back to his desk to get ready for the bell.

Hinata watched him for a few minutes before she began getting ready, herself. She didn't know why she was watching him…she just couldn't really help but watch him sometimes. And wonder what might be going on in his mind. She could easily see with her Byakugan what he was thinking of…but Hinata would never do that. Not to him. So all she could do was watch. And wonder. Finally, giving another shy smile, she looked away from him again, beginning to get ready, herself.

As Neji continued packing up his things, though, an ecstatic voice rang through his ear, causing him to tightly shut his eyes in surprise, wincing at the familiar sound.

"NEJI!! Aren't you so very excited??" a big grin came across his friend's face.

Neji sighed, opening his eyes to look at Lee. "Excited about _what?_"

Blinking in astonishment, the shiny-haired boy looked nearly heartbroken at his words. He hesitated before reminding Neji the wonderful news of tomorrow.

"Tomorrow is…Valentine's Day, Neji," he said. "The day of love and youth!! ….Aren't you excited??"

"Not really," Neji replied, standing up from his spot in the desk and putting his book bag on. He gave another sigh and walked around the desk, leaning against the wall nonchalantly as he impatiently waited for the bell to ring. "Why, is there a reason to be?"

"…Of course there is!" the boy responded. "Neji…are you upset because you have no one to snuggle with on the day of love??"

Lee's eyes widened in curiosity as he waited for an answer. Neji shook his head, wishing Lee would leave him alone at the moment.

"No, Lee. That's not at all why I'm upset… Where did you get the idea I was even upset?" he gave him a strange look.

"Because you are definitely not happy," Lee said matter-of-factly.

Sighing yet again, Neji rolled his eyes. "Well, there _is _a word called_'indifferent'_."

Lee finally decided to give up. "Okay, Neji. But do not blame it on Valentine's Day."

He turned to leave, going back to Señor Gai's desk to speak with him before the day ended. Neji, relieved by this, closed his eyes again to relax a bit, opening them again after a few seconds. He looked to the clock above the board on the other side of the room. It had to be about time for the bell to ring now. And just as those thoughts crossed the boy's mind, the bell indeed did ring. Neji left the classroom before anyone else, anxious to get home to rest and study a little more.

Hinata, on the other hand, was one of the last ones to leave. She picked up her book bag and waited for everyone else to go first, as she always did. Then, started for the door, herself. As she was almost there, though, Gai stopped her for a short moment.

"Hey! Hinata," he called.

The Hyuuga froze, turning to her teacher with a wide-eyed blink. "Yes, sir?"

"…Not everyone catches on to a new language quickly, Hinata," he gave her a smile. "Just give it some time. You're not the only one with troubles…even if all the others try to make you feel like it. Alright?"

Hinata smiled back shyly, giving him a nod. "Yes…"

"Take care, Hinata," he lastly said.

Hesitating a small moment more, the girl left the classroom to head home. She gave a sigh as she walked through the hallway, very happy that Wednesday was finally over and tomorrow was the day all students waited for (the students had Friday off this week). Hinata glanced upward as she made her way to the door of the building, letting her mind begin to wander again. Her thoughts were very quickly interrupted, though, as a certain friend of hers bombarded into them.

Hinata squeaked in surprise as the brunette came from behind with a tackle, wrapping an arm around the shy one with a cunning grin.

"Hinataaaa!" she greeted her.

Opening one of her closed eyes, Hinata let the second one open as well, blinking shyly at her friend. "T-Tenten… Hi."

The girl clicked her tongue against her two front teeth, continuing on with her words, never letting her grin dissipate.

"You totally like him, doncha?" she finally let her grin turn into a sly, knowing smile.

Hinata blinked in surprise. "W-What?"

"Don't you deny it. I saw the way you looked at him."

"L-Looked at…who?" she blinked again, very confused now. Yet she had a feeling she knew whose name Tenten was about to say…and just thinking of it caused her to begin blushing once again.

Her blush made the eager female's grin return. "You know who."

Just as Hinata knew who Tenten was speaking of, Tenten knew Hinata knew. Finally, Tenten raised an eyebrow, giving her friend the sly smile again. Hinata shook her head quickly, pushing Tenten away as her blush only became worse and worse. "No! I don't like him!"

Tenten giggled mischievously. "I know you do, Hinata. No sense hiding it now."

Again with her eyes shut tightly, Hinata gave a small whimper, slowly opening them one by one. "…He's my cousin, Tenten. I don't…like him that way. Besides…so many other girls like him…he could have anyone. Why would he want me?"

With her words, Tenten's smile became an angered stare. She lightly gave Hinata's hand a smack. "You silly, _silly _girl. Since when does _love_make something wrong? He's your cousin. So what? It's not like anyone can walk down the street and _force _themselves to love the first person they see. And it's not like anyone can _force_themselves to _stop _loving someone they love. Love is love, Hinata. No matter _what._"

Hinata couldn't help but smile at her friend's words. "No matter what."

The brunette gave a nod, crossing her arms frankly. "Good. And the _second _thing you said… Okay, Hinata, has Neji _ever _shown interest in any of the girls that like him? The whole school likes him! Believe me…I know."

Tenten honestly spoke words of knowing, too. The girl, herself, had liked Hinata's cousin for a very long time. The whole reason she'd even become Hinata's friend in the first place was simply to get close to Neji. Her plan had proved to achieve nothing, though. Even still, there wasn't a female in the school who could resist Hyuuga Neji. Everything about him was perfection. From his long, smooth, brown hair to his aloof pragmatism.

Tenten had changed since then, though. No longer did she envy Hinata for her closeness with the Hyuuga boy. Tenten had become genuine in her friendship. She'd given up her chase for Neji. There was someone else who needed him more. A painfully shy, little tulip…trying to bloom in the cold.

"And Hinata…," she continued. "He's always there for you. He always has been. Don't you think there's a reason for it all? Is he _ever _there for anyone else? You know…you're right. He _could_ have anyone he wanted. Anyone in this entire school. Probably anyone in this entire country. But he doesn't want them. Neji isn't going to just choose the hottest girl. Don't you ever wonder why he_doesn't _just pick somebody? Neji isn't that type of person, Hinata. He's waiting for someone who will love him for more than just being the most beautiful person alive. …He's waiting for someone like you."

The shy female's eyes were wide now. She slowly lowered them to stare at the ground, feeling her cheeks reddening more now than they had in a long time.

"…Tenten…I don't want to…prepare myself for a fantasy…and then have it never happen. I'm sorry…but I can't believe you…not yet," she quietly spoke.

Her friend blinked, looking at the shy girl for a moment before finally letting herself smile just a bit again.

"Alright. You don't have to. …But you'll see someday. I can promise you that."

---

That night, Hinata lay in her bed, looking up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling. The day had gone by fast. And almost everything had been a blur to her. She could barely believe some of it had even happened. …There was no way what Tenten said was true. How could anyone love someone like her? Especially someone like _him. _It was impossible.

Finally, the girl closed her eyes, rolling over onto her side as she snuggled into the covers for a night's sleep. Even with her complete doubt, she still couldn't help but wonder…

* * *

And that's all for the first chapter. :) I hope it didn't suck too bad.

Please review, guys. If I was reading something of yours, you'd want me to too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Here's chapter two, guys. Hope you like it. :)

* * *

The following morning seemed to speed by. Getting to school again, Hinata looked around as almost everyone outside waited for the bell that would signal the start of class…waiting with the partners they had. Exchanging gifts of love and chocolate. It seemed something wonderful to be able to do. But Hinata only looked away from it all, heading into the building to get to her first class. 

Inside the school, though, the same thing was going on – girls running to their loves, getting roses and candy. Hinata tried her hardest to smile at them all. But it was hard when she had no one to do those things to her. Not even that. Hinata wouldn't have minded if she'd gotten a gift or not…all she wanted now was someone who would love her. And just that, itself, would be more than wonderful.

Hinata got through most of the day alright. She'd seen Neji a few times…and was only able to look at him as she silently remembered what Tenten had told her. She still didn't believe it, though. And she doubted she ever would.

By the time fourth period had come again, the Hyuuga girl was very relieved. School, the week, and Valentine's Day were almost over. She still had to get through Spanish, though. And for some odd reason…Neji wasn't there.

Though Hinata was hoping not to speak with Neji today…it crushed her that she wouldn't get to see him during Spanish…it felt so strange without him. He was always there…on the other side of the room, answering every question given to him perfectly. Blinking sadly at her cousin's empty desk, she slowly looked down as Señor Gai began to call the roll.

As Gai got to Neji's name, Hinata received the answer to her silent question about him.

"Neji… He told me earlier today he wouldn't be here for my class…," Gai looked up from his list. "Looks like he'll be missing the activity."

Hinata blinked. Activity? This was bad…

Soon, Gai finished the roll. He went to his desk and grabbed a stack of half sheets of paper, coming back to the middle of the classroom with a smile.

"_¡Feliz Día de San Valentino, alumnos!"_ he began. "And I hope you all had a good one! Now…for today, you have _one _activity…which I have here in my hands."

As he passed each row, Gai gave everyone a sheet. Hinata took hers, looking down at it curiously. Gai continued.

"What I have just given you is a list of phrases and words relating to love and Valentine's Day. I want you all to take this list…and with it, write a letter. Write a letter to your valentine. And give it to him or her at the end of the day when you see them. If you don't have a valentine…write it to the person you like. Aaand that's all for today. Have fun with this, kids!"

"How romantic, Señor!!" cried Lee with a happy smile as he took his sheet of phrases.

The teacher chuckled, giving a grin to the boy. "Better hurry and write your letter!"

Lee grinned back and hurriedly began to write as Gai had requested.

Gai then walked back to his desk, sitting back down and getting on his school computer. After he sat down, small chatter began within the room. Pretty soon, everyone was talking and laughing as they wrote their letters. Especially the other girls in the class. Hinata looked around shyly as everyone wrote. She knew most girls would be writing their letters to Neji and Uchiha Sasuke, another of the boys most of the girls had classified as "hot".

Suddenly, Hinata jumped a little as a cry echoed through the room. The crazy blonde-haired boy happily waved his paper in the air.

"Sakura-chaaaan!" he called. "I'm writing this for you¡Ta keero!"

The girl he was writing to, Sakura, glared back to him in response as most everyone else laughed at the boy's bad Spanish.

(**A/N:** He was trying to say "te quiero." x3 Which means "I love you".)

"Naruto! I don't want a love letter from you!" she responded in annoyance.

Sakura turned away, crossing her arms with a huff. Though she couldn't hide the faint blush that had come to her face. Everyone knew the pink-haired girl really couldn't help but think almost everything Naruto did for her was cute. Naruto suddenly let out a gasp.

"No! Wait! I'm not done yet!" he quickly slammed the paper back on the desk and continued to add more of the phrases and words from the paper Gai had given them.

Hinata gave a small smile at the scene. She finally looked down to her own paper, wondering what she should do with it. Hesitating, she realized she couldn't resist. She had to write a letter to Neji. And she had to use every ounce of strength she had to make the letter flawless. This time she could have no errors in her Spanish. Neji wasn't here to correct them. And even if he was, she wouldn't be able to ask for his help. The Hyuuga hesitated again for a long moment. Could she do it…? The phrases were right here in front of her. How could she go wrong with this? Finally, Hinata took a deep breath. She placed her pencil to the paper, looking for a word to begin with.

As she was writing, the blue-eyed Naruto scrunched up his nose as he watched Lee writing his own letter…or letters. The blonde scratched his head and paused for a moment before speaking.

"Lee…," he started. "How come you're writing like five letters?"

Lee looked up with a blink at Naruto's question. "Oh…I am only writing three."

"Yeah… How come?"

Suddenly, the shiny-haired boy gave a grin. "I am writing one to Neji, and one to Tenten, and one to Señor Gai!"

"But…," Naruto picked up the list of phrases. "These are love words!! Not friend words! …Are all of them your valentines?"

"Oh... No, they are not. I am sort of cheating and adding in friend things," he told him.

Naruto looked down at one of the letters, scrutinizing it carefully. "Why'd you call Neji a girl…?"

"Huh?" Lee also looked at the letter the blonde was looking over. "I did?"

The boy nodded matter-of-factly, providing his friend with his very bad Spanish tips. "The amigo with the 'o' means 'girl'. You need to change it to 'a'."

Lee blinked a few times before smiling brightly back at Naruto. "Thank you very much! I never would have noticed!"

"No problemo!" Naruto grinned.

Looking back down at his paper, Lee quickly erased the 'o' from the word in his letter, putting an 'a' in its place. He smiled, proud to have fixed it. Little did he know that he would _not _get a happy response from the Hyuuga boy that day.

After a while, Hinata was nearly finished with her letter. The more words she wrote, though, the more nervous she became. She could _write _it, sure. But could she give it to Neji…? Hinata shook her head, getting the worrisome thoughts out of her head. She could do this… She was almost there.

"Heeeey! Who ya writin' to?"

Hinata quickly gasped, turning to face the one peeking over her shoulder. …Zaku. What did he want with her?

"U-Um…," she started quietly.

Zaku laughed. "I coulda sworn I just read your cousin's name on that paper. …I mean, I've heard rumours ya like him, but I never believed 'em. So…the rumours are _true_, then? You _like_ your _cousin?_"

The shy girl's eyes widened worriedly. She quickly shook her head, not knowing what else to do. "N-No, I…"

"Lemme see!"

Hinata had no time to act when her letter was suddenly stolen from him. She yelped, trying to take it back from him.

"No! P-Please! Give it back!" she begged.

Zaku grinned, holding out the letter in front of him. "Neji… So it's true. I always knew you were weird, but I never knew you were_ gross_. He's your _cousin!" _

"Please stop!" she yelled again, nearly on the verge of tears.

Finally realizing what was going on, Gai blinked, getting up from his computer and coming to the scene quickly. But just before he was able to stop the incident, all was lost.

"Whoops!" Zaku said as a loud rip silenced the room. "Sorry. Guess Neji'll have to wait 'till next year."

"What is going on?" Gai said sternly, grabbing Zaku's arm just after the rip.

Zaku blinked. "Nothing, Señor! Hinata's letter got ripped."

"It _got _ripped?" he looked to Hinata, still in shock at the shredded pieces of paper on the floor, once being her flawless letter. Gai looked back to Zaku. "Leave the room, please."

Zaku gave him a look before mumbling something under his breath and leaving the room, slamming the door behind him. Gai turned back to Hinata again after Zaku was gone.

(**A/N:** I know Zaku isn't in Konoha, but whatever. I don't care. And yeah, he's really mean. But hey, it's the same guy that beat Sakura to a pulp. That's pretty mean. Lol).

Immediately after, the bell rang. Everyone once again didn't care at all about Hinata and her letter. They all quickly left, happily chatting again amongst one another, ecstatic that Thursday was over. Gai hesitated a moment, trying to think of something to say.

"Hinata, I…I'm so sorry that happened… If you want, you can take one of my lists home with you and write another one," he told her.

The girl shook her head. She didn't want another one. She wanted the one she'd written first. Her perfect one. She swallowed down the lump in her throat, looking up at her teacher with a forced smile.

"I-It's alright, Señor…," she told him. "It was…just a letter."

Gai blinked. "…You sure?"

Hesitating a moment, Hinata nodded in return. "I'm sure. Thank you, though."

"Alright, then… See you next week."

Hinata nodded again, getting her things and slowly leaving the room. If she hadn't been in the middle of the hallway just them, she probably would've broken down into tears. She could never tell Neji all she had to say, herself. That letter was the only way. Or so she'd decided to believe. There were other ways. But not for her. The girl bit her lip, trying her hardest to contain her sorrow as she walked to the door of the building.

* * *

** Author's Note:** I know this chapter was shorter than the last one. :P And I'm sorry. But originally, I had planned on making this be a one-shot. And since it ended up being about twenty pages long… e.e Hehe. Yeah. I had to separate it into chapters. So, it's kinda hard perfectly separating a story that wasn't originally meant to be three chapters long. 

Anyway, if you replied to me with a signed review, I replied to you. If not, I wasn't able to reply, but I thank all of you who reviewed, signed or not.

That's all for now. Thank you for reading!

And please review. If I was reading something of yours, you'd want me to too. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Chapter Three. :) Enjoy!

* * *

The walk to the door of the building seemed to drag on forever. Hinata's body felt heavier with each pounding step. She dreaded getting back home to the Hyuuga household…with nothing at all to give to the cousin she'd fallen for so deeply now. It was almost too much for the girl to bear; until, luckily, the familiar voice of a friend made it through the barrier of sorrow now tightly around her soul. 

"Hinata!" she heard.

Hinata stopped in front of the door. She didn't turn around to greet Tenten. She only stood. Tenten blinked, a little confused as she ran to Hinata. Immediately, the brunette knew there was something wrong.

"Hinata… Hinata, what happened?" she asked.

For a moment, Hinata didn't speak. Finally, she turned around. Tenten blinked again.

"…Hinata??"

Hinata lowered her head, forcing back her tears. "…I…I was writing a letter to Neji…and…Zaku ripped it up."

Tenten's worry became a scowl at Hinata's words. "…That jerk! I'll—"

"N-No! No, no… It's…it's okay. It was just a letter. It shouldn't be bothering me so much…" she raised her head, still looking away from Tenten.

"…Hinata… Can't you write another one?" the brown-eyed girl suggested.

Hinata shook her head. "I...I wanted that one."

"…Can you remember what it said, then?" she attempted again.

"No…," the Hyuuga shook her head. "It was Spanish… And…I only remember a few words I had in it…"

Tenten looked away. She couldn't think of anything else to say. Finally, she gave her Hyuuga friend a hug. "Hinata…I'm sure you can find something even better to give him."

Hinata hesitated before responding to her words. "…It'll be okay."

Giving her a smile, Tenten released her from the embrace. She told Hinata again she was sure everything would go well, and then the two of them went their separate ways. Hinata didn't believe everything would go well, though. She could buy Neji something… But she wanted to give him the letter… He loved Spanish. And from her letter, all she could remember was a single line.

The girl closed her eyes, opening them again after a few moments. She walked on. Home wasn't far. There had to be _something_ she could do.

---

But at home, there was still nothing. Hinata sat at the table of the Hyuuga household, tracing the tabletop with her finger. Silently, she sighed. It was already getting late and she still hadn't come up with anything. There was nothing she could do now. If only she had more time. If only her letter hadn't been destroyed…

"Hinata-sama?"

Hinata jumped at her cousin's voice, turning around to face him nervously. Her face quickly began to redden.

"N-Neji-niisan," she responded.

Neji blinked. He'd known Hinata far too long to fall for any kind of tricks she'd try to fool him with.

"…What's wrong, Hinata-sama?" he asked her.

She quickly shook her head. "N-Nothing…I just…"

Neji began to approach her. When he reached her, he gently laid his hand upon her head. "Hinata-sama… You're lying to me."

Blinking in surprise, she lowered her head, looking down to the floor sadly.

"I'm sorry, Niisan… In Spanish…we were writing letters…and…I wrote one. But…Zaku ripped it up. And…I never got to give it to the person I was writing to," she softly explained.

Neji's softened face became stern once again at hearing the story. Hinata had probably worked the whole class time on that one letter. And now it was gone.

"…I'll take care of him. On Monday," Neji assured her, forgetting they had Monday off as well.

Hinata looked up at him with a blink. "Niisan, you don't have to…it's okay."

"It's not okay. It's not okay at all. …You worked a long time on that letter, didn't you?"

Lowering her head again, Hinata couldn't help but give a small nod. She had worked a long time. But still…

"Niisan…I don't want you getting into trouble for me...," she said.

Neji sighed silently. After a few seconds, Hinata was in his arms. Holding her gently, the boy tried as he could to comfort her.

"I can't promise that…," he began. "But Hinata-sama… Can you remember anything your letter said?"

He was warm. Hinata held onto him gently, letting his comfort soothe away the pain of the lost letter. She blinked, resting in his embrace as the blush on her cheeks grew a bit. She'd never been hugged like this before. It was something different. It felt very good, though. She felt as if pain wasn't even existent as Neji held her. Finally, she closed her eyes, answering him as she rested her head atop his chest gently.

"…I…I only remember a small bit of it," she told him.

"Well…you could always simply read it from memory to the person you wrote it to," he suggested.

Hinata blinked, beginning to blush again. "O-Oh, I could…never do that, Niisan…"

The boy smiled softly at her words. He'd known she was going to say that. Neji gently pressed his nose to the side of her head before he spoke.

"I'm sure you could," he said supportively. "And I'm sure whomever the letter was for won't mind the fact that it isn't a letter."

Hinata looked down a bit. "…Maybe."

Leaning away from her a little to look at her, Neji blinked. He'd known the letter was for Valentine's Day. Gai had told him that he wouldn't have to worry about missing anything important and told him about the letters when he'd left the school before fourth block. And he also knew how sensitive his younger cousin was. She'd wouldn't be happy for days if she wasn't able to get her message to the person she'd been writing to. …Both of them knew their neighborhood. There was still time.

"Hinata-sama, it isn't dark yet. No one in the school lives very far from the Hyuuga. Go on and give him your message. You have time before Valentine's Day is over," he told her. "If you'd like, I'll go with you."

The girl blinked in surprise, the blush on her cheeks a tad bit deeper than before. Neji would even do _this_ for her? And he still had no idea the letter was for him. Hinata gave a small smile, averting her eyes from his. If he wanted her to give her message, she would. Even if it was but a single line of words. If she didn't tell him now, she probably never would have courage again. Hinata met his eyes again.

"You don't need to…," she gently rested in his arms again, hesitating a moment before whispering her last words. "Thank you for always being there, Neji-niisan… _Mi corazón late para ti."_

..._  
_

Neji froze at her words. Could he really be the one her letter had been for? …Why him, though? The boy felt his own heartbeat begin to beat just a bit faster. He always had loved only her, after all. Ever since the two of them were children, meeting for the first time. Never had he made it known, though. He'd wanted her to find her own happiness, without being pressured by any outside force. So the only thing he'd ever done was wait. And hope. After all this time he'd waited… Could she really…love him? Neji ever so gently pushed back from her the slightest bit, looking into her eyes. It surprised him that her lavender eyes were shining just a little. He knew she was genuine. Yet, he couldn't help lightly placing his finger underneath her chin before his quiet response.

"...It does?" he asked her.

"Mm-hmm," was all she could say.

Neji closed his eyes. He knew what could happen if they did. If word got out, there would be talk all over the school in less than a day. _Hinata is dating her cousin. _Opening his eyes again, Neji spoke again.

"Hinata-sama…you do realize what could happen if…"

"I know," she interrupted him. "I know, Niisan… But…I don't care what happens. I just…"

Gentle lips touched hers. A chaste, light kiss. From him. Hinata suddenly felt as if the day wasn't existing, but only a mere dream. In a moment, the kiss was gone. But the feeling wasn't.

"We'll face them together," he told her softly. "I'll protect you."

Hinata held onto his arm as he held her close. She trusted his words. He would protect her. Just as he always had. And just as he forever would.

"…Arigatou, Niisan."

---

Valentine's Day had reached its end. The gift-giving and love letters had all been given, and the start of a new day had begun. The Hyuuga male blinked his tired, morning eyes slowly open just a little. The sunlight of the morning shone through the window of his room, almost as if trying its hardest to wake him from slumber.

Neji closed his eyes again for a moment. But suddenly remembering something, he quickly let them open back up. Hinata…

Had she really been there last night? Or had it all been a dream? She'd confessed her love for him just the previous night. …Was it real?

Rolling over to the other side, Neji found his answer. Because there she was. Next to him. He blinked. Maybe it was an illusion. Hesitating only a moment, the boy reached his hand to her face, ever so lightly touching the soft skin of her cheek. She was there. And the two of them were still wearing their clothing from the day before. They must've accidentally fallen asleep here as they'd stayed awake together talking about little things with no essential purpose in life.

At the light touch of his hand, Hinata found herself slowly coming out from the unconscious world of her dreams. It was strange, especially when on any other day, even the loudest of sounds could never wake the girl up. Opening her eyes, she blushed a bit as her cousin came into view, watching her as she slept. Neji smiled, idly fingering a strand of indigo hair. After a moment, he stopped the action and sighed silently.

The boy hoped Hinata hadn't felt uncomfortable waking up like this. With him beside her, watching her. He looked into her eyes.

"…Did you sleep well?" he finally asked with a quiet voice.

Hinata nodded, burying her face in the pillow for a moment before lifting her head again and looking back at him with a smile.

After getting out of bed and heading to the kitchen, it felt strange how Valentine's Day had passed by so quickly. This particular one had felt as if it'd only been a moment. Yet even so, moment or not, never had either of them had such a one as this.

Neji was a bit nervous. He'd never had a girlfriend. But then again, so was Hinata. As they got into the kitchen, Neji took a pot from the cabinet, filling it with water before he placed it onto the stove.

"How does hot chocolate sound?" he asked.

Hinata smiled. She was glad to know she wasn't the only one worried about how to create a good relationship. And she knew everything would be fine. As long as the two of them continued to help one another. But what would happen when school began again…?

For now, Hinata pushed the thoughts of school away. Destiny would take its course. And whatever was to happen would happen. Only time would tell.

* * *

**Author's Note:** In all honesty, I **hate** this chapter. It's too rushed and just…ugh. I hope everyone else liked it, though.

Thanks for the reviews, guys. :)

Oh, and…

**IMPORTANT SIDENOTE:** There's still one more chapter. I had to expand the story a little more. So, this is NOT the end yet. Next chapter will hopefully be posted tomorrow.

Please review. :) If I was reading something of yours, you'd want me to too.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Last chapter. :) Enjoy.

* * *

"So, how'd Neji like his letter?" asked the brunette as she popped a few more candy hearts in her mouth from where she sat on the couch at Lee's house.

Lee, who'd been lying on the floor for a while now as he separated the candy he'd gotten into groups, looked up at the question.

"Oh…Neji was not very happy," he told her. "He tried to hit me. But I got away."

The boy grinned. Tenten couldn't help but giggle.

"Neji just needs some hugs. Aaand, I think he's already gotten some."

"He has?" Lee blinked again, wondering what the brunette meant by her words. "…From who?"

Tenten gave him a wink. "Oh, just a certain girl I know."

Tenten hadn't seen or heard from Hinata all weekend. Now, it was the last day of their holiday and still, no Hinata. It wasn't like Hinata to spend a weekend without speaking to her. Nor was it like Neji to not come in contact with herself and Lee. And if Neji was gone and Hinata was gone…could it be that they were gone together?

---

The following Tuesday came sooner than most of the students at Konoha High would've wanted. No holiday from school was ever long enough, after all.

It usually took a lot to get Hinata out of bed. The girl was quite a deep sleeper, after all. Even still, she did finally manage to crawl out of bed and make her way to the Hyuuga kitchen. Walking in as she rubbed her tired eyes, she blinked a few times before her cousin came into focus at the table. Seeing her, he smiled.

_"Buenos días, mi ángel,"_ he greeted. "…You might want to start getting ready. We need to leave soon. …I have to get there a little early today."

Hinata blinked again, finally taking her hand away from her eyes. "…Early? Why, Niisan?"

"I just have a few things I need to do," he stated simply.

The Hyuuga girl nodded a bit, turning to go back to her room and get dressed. Maybe Neji would tell her why he needed to be there early on their way there. It didn't bother her too much. It was probably just something for one of his classes. But still…she hoped it was nothing bad.

After getting ready to leave, Hinata came back to find her cousin. Neji was at the doorway waiting. He smiled softly at seeing her back again.

"Come. We need to hurry," he said before going through the door.

Hinata quickly followed behind him, wondering again what the rush was about. It wasn't like Neji to hurry like this for school. He was wonderful when it came to his school work, but it wasn't as if he was ecstatic to be going there every morning.

"Neji-niisan," Hinata called as she caught up to him quickly, looking up at him as they walked. "Why are we…going so fast?"

The boy blinked down at her. "Just a little something I need to do. That's all."

Neji hadn't forgotten about the previous Thursday. Not even after the four-day weekend they'd had. He _would _make sure Zaku got back what he'd done to Hinata. Even if it meant himself being put in detention.

Of course, Hinata had no idea this was Neji's plan. She'd pretty much forgotten about the whole incident. The only thing worrying her about it was what would happen when the school found out about them being in a relationship now.

Soon, the two of them were there. Their house wasn't far from the school, after all. Neji paused, scanning the area for the boy who had nearly ruined his cousin's entire Valentine's Day. Zaku hadn't arrived yet, though. Just as Neji had suspected.

Hinata, who hadn't been watching where she was going, suddenly bumped into Neji with a small, startled squeak, looking up at him with wide eyes. Giving a smile, the boy looked down at her.

"Why…did we stop?" she asked quietly.

"No reason," he continued to walk again, making his way up to the front door of the building.

Hesitating a small moment, Hinata quickly followed him again. Once the two of them were there, Neji turned around to face the schoolyard, crossing his arms nonchalantly. Hinata stood next to him, blinking curiously; she wondered why he was acting so differently, but didn't mention anything of it. The two of them plainly stood for a few more minutes before Neji's eyes caught a glimpse of who he was looking for. He casually turned to Hinata, placing his hands on her shoulders as he spoke.

"Hinata…," he began. "Stay here. Alright?"

She blinked. "…Um…alright."

"Alright. Thank you," he quickly gave her lips a light kiss (making her blush ever so lightly) before turning again and beginning to make his way toward Zaku and his group of "friends."

Hinata watched as Neji approached them, suddenly realizing what was going on. Her eyes widened quickly upon the realization as she brought her hands to her lips. If what she thought was about to happen was happening, it would indeed get Neji into serious trouble. She wanted to stop him; run out to him and hold him back. But he'd asked her to stay. And…she'd told him she would. She knew he was only protecting her…but…

Noticing his approach, Zaku's group ceased their laughter and chatting, all of them turning to look at the Hyuuga male coming their way. Zaku grinned at seeing his face.

"Well, heeey," he said. "If it isn't the lover boy."

Neji closed his eyes for a moment, opening them again as he paused. Another of the group took his turn to speak.

"Shouldn't you be with the smart kids, Romeo?"

"Heh. Yeah," Zaku took the lead again. "Maybe you—"

Suddenly, Neji grabbed Zaku by the collar of his shirt, dragging him close as he raised a fist in the air. The rest of the group quickly jumped away, each of them commenting on the act inaudibly. For a moment, everything was silent. Zaku grinned.

"Go ahead. Do it, loverboy," he said through the grin.

"…You're not worth it," Neji finally answered, letting go of Zaku and turning back around as he closed his eyes, giving his last words. "Don't speak to her again, Zaku."

"Ohhhh," the boy answered. "I see now. You're just too chicken your cousin'll totally dump you if she sees you do it."

"That's none of your concern," the Hyuuga told him.

Zaku laughed. "Don't you worry, Neji. I don't gotta speak to the little whore to knock some sense into her. She won't be your girlfriend for too long."

Neji froze. That was it. The laughing from Zaku and his friends was soon stopped as Zaku hit the ground. Neji stood over him as the others in the group quickly left the area.

At the steps of the building, Hinata's eyes were wide with panic. Her hands covered her mouth as administrators and teachers rushed from the school doors, hurriedly running to the scene of the crime which had been committed.

Quickly, Neji's arms were taken by an administrator and held behind his back as the other of the adults hastily helped Zaku from the ground where he'd been thrown from Neji's blow. Neji only stood still as they continued on, glaring at Zaku.

Finally as the panic came to an end, Neji and Zaku were walked back up to the school building. As they passed by Hinata, still on the front stairs of the school, Neji gave her a reassuring smile that everything would be alright. The girl bit her lip worriedly, watching them being taken into the school. She tried to follow, but a teacher held her back, telling her not to interfere. …It wasn't until the end of the school day that Hinata was able to see him again.

---

"Oniisan!" as fast as she could, Hinata ran to him, slamming into him with an embrace as she buried her face in his chest with a small whimper. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. A few seconds passed before she looked up at him, a mix of worry, astonishment, and disbelief in her lavender-tinted eyes. "Why did you do that??"

Neji blinked once, looking back down at her. "…Everything's fine."

Hesitating for a moment as she looked up at him, Hinata was soon buried in his arms again. "Do you realize what you did at all? So many people never dreamed you'd… Niisan…"

The boy smiled, gently placing his hand to the back of her head. "It doesn't bother me. He knows never to hurt you again."

Hinata looked to the ground, still holding onto him. She was honoured he'd do such a thing for her…but if it meant himself being hurt…

"Well…"

"Relax," Neji broke the embrace, taking her hand and beginning the walk back to the Hyuuga household. "I only got two days of in-school suspension for it."

"But…that's not good," she looked up at him worriedly again.

"He brought it on himself," Neji continued.

Hinata's lavender eyes softened just a bit. Her cousin's words were true...

The Hyuuga shook his head before tightening his grip on her delicate hand and meeting her eyes again with a smile. As long as she was safe, it didn't matter to him what happened. He gently laced his fingers with her own.

"Trust me, okay?" he said. "Everything's going to be fine."

Hinata couldn't help but return his smile. And trust him, she would.

---

That afternoon, Hinata lay on her bed with her Spanish homework. Neji had offered to help her, but she'd wanted to try it on her own first, to see if she'd gotten any better. She tapped the pencil on the paper as she tried to remember the word she needed for the sentence. But just as she almost had it, a sudden, loud ring caused her to give a startled yelp, covering her head with her arms. After a few seconds, Hinata realized the noise was merely the telephone. She sighed and reached over to her desk, picking it up and holding it to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hinata!" the familiar, feminine voice burst through the line. "Did Neji…really…"

The Hyuuga girl gave a nod, forgetting that nods couldn't be heard over the line. Realizing that, she quickly answered. "Yes… Yes, he did."

"Whoa!" Tenten laughed a bit. "Why'd he do that?"

"…W-Well…," Hinata twirled the spiral phone cord around her finger as a light blush began to appear over her cheeks. "He did it because…"

"…He did it for_you??" _

Hinata smiled. "Yeah."

"Hinata, did something happen between you and Neji over the weekend?" the brunette questioned, already knowing the answer.

"I…guess you could say that," the lavender-eyed female began to blush again, biting back her bashful smile.

A second later, a happy laugh rang from the receiver. "I knew it! I told you! I told you he was waiting for you!"

The Hyuuga covered her face as her blush deepened even more from her friend's words. Tenten giggled a little. She could almost hear Hinata's actions over the line. Hesitating a moment, Tenten continued. "So, how does it feel?"

"…New," Hinata smiled, finally uncovering her shy smile.

"I bet," she gave another small giggle. "The first girl he's ever loved. You should feel special."

The shy girl nodded again, still smiling softly. It did feel special. To think of all people, Neji would choose her. But he had. And Hinata knew she was in for many surprises to come. With him. She suddenly felt her heart skip for the first time. Just a small second. The first girl he's ever loved.

"Yeah," she softly answered with a smile. "I do."

* * *

**Author's Note:** And there you have the end. I hate this chapter too, but oh, well. I hope you guys liked it.

Thanks for all the support. I really appreciate it. :)

Happy Valentine's Day. (Even though it's over).


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